Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III

LT. CMDR Courtney seems to me an officer who has been desk bound on shore duty for most of his career and may see having command of a river patrol boat his last best chance to get a promotion before being forced out of the Royal Navy.
While most of the speculation so far by various posters have him pegged as being incompetent we must remember what the title of this timeline is.
 
LT. CMDR Courtney seems to me an officer who has been desk bound on shore duty for most of his career and may see having command of a river patrol boat his last best chance to get a promotion before being forced out of the Royal Navy.
While most of the speculation so far by various posters have him pegged as being incompetent we must remember what the title of this timeline is.
Ah, so for all we know we're looking at the future Admiral of the Fleet for the Royal Navy.
 
Part 118, Chapter 1963
Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Sixty-Three



16th February 1970

Yangtze River, Anhui Province, China

There were farm fields on either side of the river that were occasionally interrupted by some fairly large towns. Having experience of being on the river during the sticky heat of the summertime, Smythe was amazed by how cold it was. Presumably, everything to their north was hostile territory, while the south was supposedly friendly for the moment. Everyone knew that was not strictly true. No one knew if a local warlord might get a bug up his ass and start shooting at everything going up and down the river, a Commanding Officer from one of the major armies getting a bit too enterprising, or any one of the thousand other eventualities they had to consider. It would hardly matter to the crew of the HMS Darner once they were on the receiving end of it. That was why double lookouts had been posted once they left the relative safety of the International Concession in Shanghai. Courtenay had remained on the bridge with Sublieutenant Hastings after ordering Smythe to get a meal and a few hours sleep before he would be allowed back up there.

After getting a plate of what the Cook had going in the gally, Smythe tentatively ate while trying not to pay too much attention to what exactly he was eating. Serving in China tended to teach everyone that there was little happiness to be found in looking too closely at their food. The ship’s Cook tried to replicate the sort of solid English cuisine that he had been trained to make with ingredients readily found in China, the results had ranged from comical to downright terrifying. At the same time, no one with any sense angered those who made their meals, so the crew endured in silence. That silence was too good to last as Smythe learned as he got back to the tiny cabin that he had to himself, a luxury that came from his rank.

Felix Greene, a Warrant Officer, and the Darner’s Chief Engineer was waiting outside of his cabin waiting for him to get there. Word was that Greene’s father had been a Rating stationed in Kingston and his mother had been a local woman who he had started his second or third family with. Smythe had no idea if any of that was true. What he did know was that Greene had joined the Navy because spending the rest of his life in the sort of grinding poverty he had endured during his childhood had limited appeal.

“I’ll be damned if the last few weeks doesn’t make you look like the biggest ass in the whole Navy, Reg” Greene said when he saw Smythe standing there glaring at him.

“Fucking with the Ship’s First Lieutenant when he just wants a bit of sleep will get you that damnation faster than you think, with real Hellfire” Smythe replied and Greene’s face took on the vague smile that he got when he had someone’s number.

They went back more than a decade to when they had been teenaged Seamen, little more than Recruits, aboard the HMS Verulam. So, Greene knew that Smythe was not about to punish him because this wasn’t the first time that he had done something like this. Though Smythe also understood that Greene didn’t show up unless he had something important enough to risk his wrath to say it.

“What do you want Greene?” Smythe asked as he opened the door.

“It’s the men, they want to know when you are going to stop walking around with a stick up your ass” Greene replied.

“And they asked you to talk with me?”

“No, I came to talk with you on my own.”

That was just like Greene. There probably had been a lot of talk, just he didn’t want to take the chance that Smythe would retaliate against anyone other than him. As a Warrant Officer and someone who was essential for the mission, Green knew full well that Smythe’s options would be limited in how he went about doing it.

“Then talk” Smythe said as they entered the cabin.

“Everyone knows that you thought you were getting the Darner when Captain Bennet got put ashore” Greene said, “The Fleet sent us Courtenay instead…”

“Speaking of something everyone knows” Smythe replied.

“And you have a problem with the new Captain and are taking that out on the whole crew” Greene finished.

“In case you haven’t noticed, we are in a warzone and he is treating this as if this whole thing is a giant lark” Smythe said, “A great adventure for him perhaps, the rest of us get killed.”

“Perhaps” Greene said, “Or, care to hear my theory?”

Smythe waited.

“You have been playing the bad cop” Greene said, “While Courtenay has gotten away with playing the good cop. Let’s just say that your delightful behavior has made him come out smelling like roses despite what he did last Friday. Entirely by contrast.”

Smythe was annoyed that he had needed Greene to point that out to him. It should have been obvious.

“So, you are saying he played me?” Smythe asked.

“To a degree, though I think you ended up playing yourself this time” Greene answered, “The rest is because there has not been a Captain in all of history who would have a problem with a hardass enforcing the regulations.”

“I’ll think about that” Smythe said, “Now get the Hell out of here while I am still feeling merciful.”

“Aye, Sir” Greene said as he gave Smythe a crisp salute and trooped out of the cabin. Greene always had known how to follow the rules to the letter while mocking whoever he dealt with. Just it had been a lot more fun to watch Greene before he had ended up in charge of him.
 
LT. CMDR Courtney seems to me an officer who has been desk bound on shore duty for most of his career and may see having command of a river patrol boat his last best chance to get a promotion before being forced out of the Royal Navy.
While most of the speculation so far by various posters have him pegged as being incompetent we must remember what the title of this timeline is.
I hadn't thought about that but it fits as well, thanks.
 
Ah, so for all we know we're looking at the future Admiral of the Fleet for the Royal Navy.
Scenario 1: this entire thing is actually going to be a boring river patrol. Darner gets to fire a few rounds off of their Jerry guns and they go back to Hong Kong (or, to be more precise, the bars of Lockhart Road and the ladies of negotiable affections working nearby).

Scenario 2: Darner stumbled upon some big action.
2(a). Courtenay's training comes back to him. He performs admirably and gets himself a medal
2(b). Courtenay freeze. Smythe hasto step him and performs admirably and gets himself a medal
2(c). Both Courtenay and Smythe steps up to the game. The Action by HMS Darner will later become the second time VCs got handed out by the dozens on one single day (the first, of course, being Rorke's Drift)
2(d). Ship hits a mine/unlucky artillery barrage. Entire crew KIA

No one knew if a local warlord might get a bug up his ass and start shooting at everything going up and down the river, a Commanding Officer from one of the major armies getting a bit too enterprising, or any one of the thousand other eventualities they had to consider.
I get that the crew of the Darner probably don't know this, but Chinese warlords avoid foreign military assets like the plague. Or they offer them their own concubines for military support against some other guy they are fighting. At the end of the day, foreign military assets are not to be fucked with, and Chinese warlords (and their troops) are not Taliban fighters intent on killing Americans Europeans at all costs.

That was why double lookouts had been posted once they left the relative safety of the International Concession in Shanghai.
Not happening. The International Settlement was handed back to ROC in OTL 1943, and even then it wasn't a good time for the ROC.
China ITTL had a much better WWII (or at least they have to had it better - Burma Road stayed open, for one, and Germany never abandoned them for Japan).
“You have been playing the bad cop” Greene said, “While Courtenay has gotten away with playing the good cop. Let’s just say that your delightful behavior has made him come out smelling like roses despite what he did last Friday. Entirely by contrast.”

Smythe was annoyed that he had needed Greene to point that out to him. It should have been obvious.

“So, you are saying he played me?” Smythe asked.

“To a degree, though I think you ended up playing yourself this time” Greene answered, “The rest is because there has not been a Captain in all of history who would have a problem with a hardass enforcing the regulations.”
So Courtenay wasn't a total tool. This'll get interesting.

Marc A
 
With Shanghai part of the Southern Forces territory the International Concession could have been reinstated as a way to get money and equipment from other countries to fight Chiang Kai-shek.
For the British this is a "Low Risk, High Reward" operation in that if it works Hong Kong remains British for a much longer time, the Royal Navy gets to show that it still relevant, and Great Britain gets some needed respect and prestige from other powers.
 
Darner sounds pretty big for a river patrol craft, how far upstream can it get? I'd be thinking not very far, considering the crew compliment means it would have a pretty deep draft for a riverboat.
 
Darner sounds pretty big for a river patrol craft, how far upstream can it get? I'd be thinking not very far, considering the crew compliment means it would have a pretty deep draft for a riverboat.
Less than you would think. The old steamer riverboats were far larger and only had a draft of 6 to 10 feet. (2 to 3 meters)
 
Part 118, Chapter 1964
Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Sixty-Four



20th February 1970

Mitte, Berlin

Zella was laying on her bed with her eyes closed, listening to the two albums that had arrived the week before that she finally had a chance to get to. Mythology and the Moondogs had both released full length albums on the same date, both of which were extraordinary for different reasons and it was obvious to anyone who gave them a good listen that they were very much in reaction to each other. She had spoken with Paul McCartney about the recording sessions where the two bands had been forced to share space with each other. While Mythology had delved deep into the realm of the occult with lyrics that spoke of dark influences and pagan ritual, the Moondogs had taken a different tact, writing songs that focused entirely on the world they saw around them. John and Paul had written about the both the light and darkness they saw, celebrating all of it. Focused Zella even caught the verse tossed in as a throwaway line, “That girl walks in sunshine but she’s a wonderful friend of mine.” Zella smiled when she heard that. When she finished listening to Moondogs record, she flipped it back over to side A and started it again.

Because she had her headphones on, and her eyes closed. Zella didn’t hear her mother enter the room until she noticed that she felt like she was being watched. She sat up startled and took off her headphones.

“You looked just like you did when you were a little girl and had a new toy” Maria said.

“Why didn’t you knock?” Zella asked.

“I did” Maria replied as she sat down on Zella’s bed. “You lose yourself in that music and tune the whole rest of the world out. I think that it is wonderful that you have found a way to get paid to do that.”

There were times when Zella wondered why she didn’t just move out of her parent’s house. It was a matter of tradition and supposedly that just the way that things had always been. Her mother had lived with Zella’s grandmother until she had gotten married and went with her father to Australia. Zella’s earliest memories were of the house on the beach in Sydney.

Zella just stared at her mother for a few seconds. Unsure about what to say.

“Your father and I would love it if you would join us for supper this evening” Maria said, “And he has even agreed not to point out how odd it is that you have been spending Friday nights in more often than not of late.”

With that Zella’s mother reached out and squeezed her foot affectionately before getting up to leave.



Jüterbog Airfield

The Fieseler Kranich was ugly as sin but Louis loved it all the same. For years, he had flown an old biplane that had started out as a trainer in the Luftwaffe. One of the great joys of his life had been arriving at an airport to meet with a Head of State and seeing that they had arrived in a sleek new jetliner. For them it was all about posturing and ostentatious displays. One look at the old Goldfinch Trainer and they had known that Louis would not be in the least bit impressed.

Then Louis had gone to tour the production line at Fieseler after they had introduced a new line of aircraft with advanced turboprop engines. That had included the latest version of the Storch and twin-engine Kranich. As much as he hated to admit to it, the open cockpit of the Goldfinch left a great deal to be desired. The Kranich had a great deal going for it, and he had noticed that it had the much same effect whenever anyone saw it.

At the moment the airplane was sitting in its hanger and Louis had decided to spend the evening talking with the team of mechanics he employed about his plans for the coming year. He was going to be traveling widely throughout Germany, helping Friedrich drum up support for his bid to become Emperor. It was all coming together the way that Louis had intended, the coronation would occur right about the time that the centennial celebrations were set to begin. The German Empire would be starting its second century with a new Emperor with a young family. It was Louis’ hope that symbolism would result in a renewed sense of optimism. That was because lately things had been a bit of a mess. Unintended consequences were piling up and it would require new thinking to find the right path forward.

This was consuming Louis’ thoughts as he walked up the ramp and into the cargo hold of the Kranich. Antonia was sitting in one of the inward facing seats that lined the hold, reading a book that was a part of a school assignment. Walking further into the cockpit, he saw Annett sitting in the Pilot’s seat. Like most planes with stepless cockpits the entire nose section of the Kranich was glazed, giving the pilot and copilot a commanding view.

“So, where are we headed Captain?” Louis asked as he sat down in the copilot’s seat.

“Nowhere in particular” Annett replied, as she reached for the steering yoke. Louis couldn’t help but notice that she was almost tall enough for her feet to reach the rudder pedals.

“You must have somewhere in mind” Louis said.

“Don’t be silly Poppa” Annett said with one her rare smiles.

“Just think about it” Louis said and Annett turned her attention back to the panel of gauges and instruments in front of her.

Charlotte had suggested that he bring the girls tonight because she figured that they were starting to forget what he looked like because of how busy he had been. They had also been spending a lot of time with Kristina. While their oldest sister was unlikely to chase them off, having them around constantly could be a bit trying at times. He also hoped that Annett’s interest in sitting in the pilot’s seat wasn’t just the actions of a bored little girl who didn’t feel like doing her studies. So far, none of his children had been interested in learning to fly, which was a bit of a disappointment. If Annett were genuinely interested, then Louis would have the time to start teaching next year and not just Annett. It was something that he was looking forward to.
 
Last edited:
Let's see. Freddy was in the pioneers. Michael was in the army driving tanks. Kiki is in the medical corps as a pararescue. Louis is in the navy. Looks like we finally have one for the air force.
 
Ahh, I wondered if there was going to be a series of accidents that pushed Kiki to the front of the line and then the Emperor would have a crash. Then the vote goes overwhelmingly for Kiki out of sympathy.
 
Ahh, I wondered if there was going to be a series of accidents that pushed Kiki to the front of the line and then the Emperor would have a crash. Then the vote goes overwhelmingly for Kiki out of sympathy.
Same I thought that during the jacobin terrorist, for sure that Fredrich and Louis was going to be assasinted and be this great push back against the communist recergance and the nobility that backed them. Leading to Kiki taking the throne as some broke queen who hates the bloodshed associated with it but takes it out of a sense of duty with Ben largely guiding her as prince consort, even going above what prince Phillip was to Queen Elizabeth II.
 
Why would anyone need to die? The electors will decide who is the new Kaiser, given Kiki's record so far and the right PR campaign, I could see her getting elected easily. You have the most decorated of Louis's children, her medical record, her humanitarian record, eye candy in Ben ( Astronaut scientist), and her not wanting it. This is PM's timeline, what happens to Kiki when she doesn't want an honor or recognition, She will be the next Empress.
 
Why would anyone need to die? The electors will decide who is the new Kaiser, given Kiki's record so far and the right PR campaign, I could see her getting elected easily. You have the most decorated of Louis's children, her medical record, her humanitarian record, eye candy in Ben ( Astronaut scientist), and her not wanting it. This is PM's timeline, what happens to Kiki when she doesn't want an honor or recognition, She will be the next Empress.
No, she must be Kats true successor! Somehow ending up CO of the KSK!
 
Top